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24/9/2014 at 8:16pm
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Depends whether you want to camp in a tent as means to an end, ie holiday accomodation you can afford or as an end in itself, ie you enjoy camping in a tent.
If its an end in itself then your goal will be better tents ie expensive canvas & all the gear to go with.
If a means to an end then you will probably miss the secure feeling of a caravan particularly in bad weather.
You can spend well over £2000 on a canvas tent but you can get a caravan off ebay for £500 which you can fix up for yourself without too much expense & theres no need to bother with insurance for that value.
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Freeman on the land.
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24/9/2014 at 8:55pm
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Bell Tent Vango Coleman and Quechua
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My Dad (a caravanner) and myself (a tenter) had a very similar conversation earlier today. He is considering selling the van. He hates towing it, he is paying out a fortune in insurance and winter storage and if the EU bring in a MOT on caravans as is being bandied about then used caravans will lose value as many caravanners ditch them at the same time. Then there's a site he frequents that does not allow caravans over 10 years old, and his is 6 years old. So all in all, his conclusion is to sell, buy a tent for touring and stay in holiday cottages when not touring.
I don't understand this 'secure feeling' when staying in a caravan. I've done both and I find a caravan more claustrophobic and a family tent more open and bright. I don't feel threatened in a tent, to my personal safey or anything. And I am a widowed female camping on my own!
To me the only difference is with caravanning is you are not sleeping on the floor and you've got a better kitchen.
The sleeping on the floor and kitchen type can be overcome with camping with the right gear.
However after a few years of 'packing the kitchen sink' I've gone the other way and like to keep things simple. A tent big enough for comfort and no more, a tarp for extra shelter if needed. A simple stove set up designed mainly for making a cuppa and heating one pot meals (pre-made and frozen) or time to barbecue. I put most effort in to my bed, I have a steel framed camp bed so I'm up off the floor, a self inflating mat on top and warm bedding with real pillows, not camping ones.
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24/9/2014 at 10:17pm
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After a nightime storm on my campsite in SW France this summer it wern't me wet in my £400 caravan, it was the Dutch family on the next pitch who got flooded out of their £2k+ De Waard. Even in the summer warmth of southern France one nightime storm can wash your tent away, some of these storms have to be experienced to be believed.
I don't think this should be turned into the usual tents vs caravans argument though. I was mostly pointing out to the op that there is another way if he would rather stick with a caravan even though he feels he can't afford it.
I'm in my 4th season now of French hols with my ebay bargain mid 80s caravan, £400 & I suppose another £300 spent on it over the 4yrs I have owned it, servicing, tyres etc with a fair bit of diy resealing etc. I don't bother with insurance & there is no legal requirement to insure a caravan, 3rd party risks while towing are covered on your car insurance.
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Freeman on the land.
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25/9/2014 at 12:00am
Location: Herts
Outfit: Conway Classic Trio 2004
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Yes! We started off with a tt then moved onto bigger and roomier caravans but i really didn't like towing and dh was such a bag of nerves when he was towing that that also rubbed off on me. I loved the caravan but the costs are just so high even though we saved on storage costs by having it at home. We sold the 'van and got another tt which we have since sold and had a foreign holiday for the first time in 10 years. Now we are considering on what to buy for next years holiday lol. We are open to a tt, a folding camper or a caravan for under £500 for a two week holiday. If we pay anymore than that then we might just as well hire a static caravan.
We have considered a tent but i really do like to be off the ground in whatever i'm sleeping in lol
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25/9/2014 at 8:15am
Location: Norfolk
Outfit: VW Nexa camper
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Yes we have recently gone down this route but our circumstances are somewhat different as we are just a couple in our mid 60s but here is our experience anyway.
2yrs ago, knowing we would not use the motor home much last year and were really not using it enough to justify the cost we sold and bought a tent. The wife was very unsure and said she would happily camp in France but not in Britain.
We have now camped this year for some 12 weeks, 7 in Britain and now in France for 5 weeks. I went off on my own in Britain to start with, the wife visiting for the day. Yes I know the weather was good on Britain earlier this year but soon the wife was camping with me. Tables have now turned a bit, while in Britain I did not miss the motor home one bit and it was nice to have a car for ease of travel, in France I am missing the freedom of the motor home and suggested a change back to motor home, the wife says she wants to keep with a tent.
We started off with a big tent but found it too much hassle putting up and down and a small tent for 1/2 nighters which you had to crawl into. Both soon went and we now have medium size tent with an add on extension for longer stays which is working well.
In France we use hotels to break the journey etc and at about £40/ night not expensive. We also watch the weather and if need be would use chalets or hotels. We don't do lightweight, a good quality SIM with duvets, toilet to save those night walks, halogen oven, fan heater etc and are very comfortable.
No you are not mad to give it a try, although we have had many M/Hs say they think we are. We have no regrets about the change to camping overall and are enjoying the experience of real outdoor living but so far have been blessed with good weather.
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25/9/2014 at 10:44am
Location: Manchester
Outfit: Pennine Countryman
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If you're going to be towing and storing a trailer have you thought about a trailer tent? Proper beds off the ground, and a framed, canvas tent to live in. Its glamping really!
I'm back in this section because I've decided to buy a small canvas tent for those occasions when it's just OH and me and we either can't take the TT (festivals), or don't want to tow for some reason, but we love our Combi Camp. Eight years in a trailer tent has however completely spoiled us, and despite having various synthetic tents in our collection I really, really want canvas!
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All the best,
Alison
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25/9/2014 at 6:34pm
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Well with us being Tent campers, that rules out UK for holidays.
So since 1978 we have mostly done camping in the South East of France or down on the Cote d Azur.
Upgraded our Tent back in 2008 for one with ZiG and Tunnel design, using Cotton canvas, £699 well spent and also bought a new Trailer the following year for £800.
So £1500 for our set up, which suits us fine for now, would love a caravan, but have not saved up enough for one as yet, but hope to have one in 6 years time when I hit 60, all part of the plan to start living the dream.
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Topic: Are we mad?
